British Academy of Fencing September 2012 Issue 67 GLORIOUS GAMES Well, it’s over! Between the spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies, we have been The Joy of Victory - Kim Jiyeon stands atop the podium after treated to a wonderful celebration of sport at the Women’s Sabre London 2012. The organisers can feel satisfied at a job well done and they, and indeed the nation, can take pride in these Olympic Games. For the first time, our sport was not confined to a quick ten minutes of highlights. Thanks to the extra 26 channels supplied by the BBC on satellite and the internet, as well as Red Button options, it was possible to follow all the fencing, from the first “en garde” to the final “halte”, from the comfort of one’s armchair. The presentation of the sport was excellent, with five pistes in the centre of one of the Excel arenas. Wireless technology was used throughout, so there were no spools or wires to mar the 21st century look of the pistes, with their spectacular lighting system, as supplied by Leon Paul (see their web site for more details of this). Within the arena, a mixture of video presentations, music and enthusiastic “cheerleading” from IN THIS ISSUE the arena host created, in the spaces between fencing, a lively and noisy atmosphere, enhanced by groups of fans from the many nations represented. (Will we ever regard “We Will Rock You” in the same way again?) Whilst the GB results may not be all that might have been hoped, there was much British representation amongst the organisation; in the Directoire Technique, amongst the panel of referees, arena announcers and so on. There were also many familiar faces, including Academy members, among the many volunteers, in their distinctive purple and red tops. These were the main point of contact for the visiting public and they definitely made the Games for many. A special mention should also be made of the military personnel who had been drafted in to man the security checks. As one approached, they said “It’s just like airport security”; wrong! - these guardians of our safety were smiling and helpful! John Worsley, in his column on page 10, has some valid points to make about the legacy of the Games. Our sport has been exposed to a new audience and we now need to make use of that. A straw poll amongst youngsters taking part in taster sessions during the summer holidays has shown that a large number saw the Olympic fencing coverage and were inspired to have a go. It is perhaps fitting now for all our coaches to adopt one of the key phrases used to promote London 2012 and seek to “Inspire a Generation”. Academy News is edited by Bob Merry, 6 Birkdale Close, Bramhall, Stockport, Cheshire SK7 2LN. Tel: 0161 440 9613 or 07836 764026. 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AL5 3NT apply to Course Officer Tel: 01582 713052 All prices include p & p. Figures in RED are for non-BAF members email: [email protected] ** Price of CD-ROM includes lifetime replacement guarantee - only buy once! A Compendium containing all major Documentation, including the ones above, plus more relating to examinations, is now available. For full details see Issue 64 of Academy News or contact Professor Isobel Combes ([email protected]) September 2012 Academy News Page 4 the president writes...... Did it work? Well, in London 2012, they won all the Women’s Foil individual medals and the team gold. They also won the Men’s Foil Team gold, plus a handful of silver and bronze medals which puts them at the top of the fencing medals table. Even so, I’m sure they will agree with me that their results could have been better and that performance overall has slipped recently in some respects, particularly in the sabre. Seven medals may be far beyond what we could have dreamt of, but with the quality of Italian fencing, I feel they could have achieved much more. KOREA Next down the medals table came Korea, much to everyone’s (misplaced) astonishment. They have been Fencing, the Olympics and Coaching making steady progress over the years and we need to be paying much more attention to how they are doing it. It is Well, until the Men’s Team Foil event, I was getting clear that they have a good infrastructure and funding in very depressed about what I was going to say in this article. place – you can go to the sport university there to train as a Until that point, it was like watching a car wreck in slow coach, and they have sent some coaches abroad to improve motion. All the individual events had come and gone and their skills. However, a remark from the head coach Lee GBR had won only ONE fight against a foreign fencer. Wook Jae, in a recent interview struck me deeply The gloom lifted a bit for me when the Men’s Foil team "It is Korean style. We worked very hard on footwork, to came out and, to their credit, turned what may have been have speedy legs because our opponents are slower." perceived as a walkover for the Italians into a real scare and capped that off by beating the French. True, the Why did that remark have such an impact on me? Italians may not have fenced up to their usual standard and Because in this country, every time we have a disappointing may have been caught out by complacency, and true, the result, the cry goes up “We need to get foreign coaches in!” French have been having a disastrous Olympics, but a win and yet here is a country where fencing was until recently is a win and the Foil team are to be congratulated for what relatively unknown, getting to second place on the medal they did achieve. tables with all home grown coaches standing by the piste. Nevertheless, despite all the funding, despite the This points to the one thing we don’t do. We refuse in benefit of all those wild cards and despite all the ‘Experts’ this country to train our fencers according to the kind of in charge, it remains a fact that these were our worst people they are.